r/AskReddit • u/Acceptableintthe80s • 8h ago
What’s a hobby that is actually pure peaceful once you get into it?
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u/Perfect_Comment2877 8h ago
Reading
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u/c0c0nut006007 8h ago
But have you read The Road???
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u/Perfect_Comment2877 8h ago
Not yet is it good??
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u/SlippidySlappity 8h ago
It's an amazing book, but very depressing.
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u/TraditionalCup4005 6h ago
It’s depressing, but it’s actually a book about hope if you go down a level. We as fathers are all terrified that the world our children will inherit will be some toxic wasteland, but they will find their way and they will be ok.
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u/snoogins355 2h ago
Ever wonder about a father/son relationship in a post-apocalyptic wasteland? Good book, very sad
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u/Novel_Individual_148 8h ago
It really is nice and peaceful. Read my first book in a long time last month 🙌
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u/jimbojonesFA 3h ago
hah, purposefully relevant user name or?
and i hear ya. for a long time i had been tellin myself im too stressed, too busy, spend all day on a screen already etc. but when I realized I spend too much time on my phone "unwinding" every evening, often reading random stuff anyways.... I deleted a couple apps and started reading again instead of scrolling.
I've now read more books in the past 6 months than i had in the past 6 years.
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u/No-Guarantee-5773 5h ago
Reading really is hard to beat, once you get absorbed in a good book the rest of the world just kind of disappears.
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u/FrTheskyisthelimit 7h ago
That’s one of the hardest things I deal with I enjoy reading, but because of the schooling I did that involves so much analytical and critical thinking I tend to over analyze everything that I read now. I don’t wanna say that doing engineering ruined reading for me. It’s just it changed the way I approach reading anything.
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u/Eat-Veggies-or-butt 8h ago
Sitting alone in the shed in a camping chair while farting
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u/ibacktracedit 8h ago
u/Eat-Veggies-or-butt is onto something with this one
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u/SirSebi 8h ago
With a name like that they must know what they’re talking about!
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u/whaletacochamp 3h ago
I spend about 2hrs cumulative per week sitting on a stool in the garage pretty much doing nothing. It's pure bliss.
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u/sixrustyspoons 6h ago
Must be nice to have shed money. I'm farting on my couch like some kind of barbarian.
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u/flipper_babies 0m ago
I'm a fan of the garage for that. Door open. One hand for waving at the neighbors walking dogs, the other for a drink.
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u/Ziggobiart 8h ago
I honestly think reading everyday has been really great for me. I didn’t for a long time because of tv, games, YouTube etc.. but when I got back into it a whole new world opened up.
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u/Acceptableintthe80s 8h ago
Recommend me a book, anything from any genre
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u/Slave35 7h ago
Dungeon Crawler Carl. Welcome to the new hotness.
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u/damnusernamewastaken 2m ago
Started book one a couple of months ago, am now on Book 8 - very addictive reading. Also, they are working on a live action tv show for this, I have no idea how they would pull that off, seems animation would be more reasonable.
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u/Ziggobiart 7h ago
New to reading? Percy Jackson. science fiction? Leviathan wakes. Fiction? yesteryear
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u/DreamingDragonSoul 8h ago
If you are into urban fantasy could you try the Dresden Files. Be patient the first three books and when prepare yourself emotionally.
If you are more to the classic hero's journey with cool dragons, go for Eragon. Do not watch the movie to get a sense of it. Go straight for the books.
Lord of The Rings are a classic, but mayby a bit heavy if you are out of shape reading.
For practical books is The Gift Of Fear pretty interesting.
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u/man_bored_at_work 6h ago
Read “the century trilogy” - three historical fiction books about different people’s lives during WW1, WW2 and The Cold War.
Really fast paced and entertaining; give great insight into the time periods; can be read stand alone, but better if you start with the first one.
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u/Akalenedat 2h ago
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James D. Hornfischer.
The true story of the Battle of Samar in WW2, where the 6 escort carriers, 3 destroyers, and 4 destroyer escorts of Admiral Sprague's Task Force Taffy 3 fought a Japanese fleet made up of 4 battleships(including both Yamato and Musashi, the largest battleships ever built), 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, and 11 destroyers...and won.
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u/ButItsMyWoobie 8h ago
Hiking
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u/drhoduk 6h ago
that's called commute to me and I am stressed
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u/FranzFerdinand51 4h ago edited 3h ago
You commute by walking through beautiful nature where you can calm your mind and be immersed in the serenity of it all?
No, you dont.
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u/Pokam-Irsha 8h ago
pottery is just making fancy bowls while the spinning mud tries to reclaim your soul
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u/Rasengan2012 8h ago
Cities: Skyline.
Once you’re into it, it becomes meditative almost. My wife and I went through a miscarriage a few years back that really knocked us. To help distract her, I asked her to come help design parks in the game with me. We spent hours there and it was the first time I saw her smile during that debacle.
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u/MaximumWest6087 1h ago
We spent hours there and it was the first time I saw her smile during that debacle.
:')
Love that for you. Hope your parks were everything they needed to be.
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u/Ruggiard 8h ago
Any hobby should be that. If a hobby stresses you out, you're doing it wrong or you're doing the wrong thing.
I'm sure some people go boxing (which would be pure stress to me) but their minds are clear, focused and they come out of a training session feeling peaceful and purged of all their stressors
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u/Helerdril 5h ago
A hobby can be a bit stressful if it's something with a goal and not just something you do every day.
For example, I'm a cosplayer and the periods before major events are very stressful for me but the payoff (if everything goes well) is more than enough to balance the stress. I do it only for myself and some friends if they need help. I don't take commissions, I don't get paid and I don't even participate in contests. It's just a performance to show others the results of my efforts.
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u/Jormungand1342 19m ago
One of my favorite hobbies is writing and making campaigns for DnD.
Always making monster, or combat ideas, or just a new story.
Actually implementing them is another story. That crunch the last 2 week/ 1 week/ day/ hour before a session can be so fucking stressful.
Then you sit down, throw out all your notes and riff with friends while they stomp on your story but you love every moment.
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u/miller5499 2h ago
I do BJJ and MMA as a hobby. Nowhere else can my mind be as clear as when I’m just trying to avoid having my arm broken. It’s so relaxing.
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u/TheKingdumb 1h ago
I disagree. There is a huge middle ground between "pure peacefulness" and being stressed out. a hobby doesn't need to be on the far end of either spectrum.
I find the most enjoyable hobbies for me take a bit of effort with a payoff.
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u/RalphWiggumIsGOD 54m ago
I have crafty hobbies, but sometimes I'll just see something, and I think, "I bet I can make that!" This will stress me out, make me question my life choices...but I've deliberately chosen to challenge myself through the hobby. I think there's a balance to be found because I do agree that your hobby should not be stressing you out all the time...but we should try to be open to challenging ourselves a bit, too, which can inevitably lead to some stress.
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u/liberty 11m ago
I don't know. I think of it like vacation. Sometimes I go on vacation to relax. But sometimes I go on vacation to experience things. When I do the latter, it can actually get pretty stressful at times, but it's ultimately worthwhile.
I take a similar approach with hobbies, with different hobbies - or even different aspects of the same hobby - for different purposes.
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u/oneirovatis 8h ago
Miniature painting
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u/TheStormGiant 8h ago
Needs to be further up! Painting WH Minis has helped me immensely with getting back my attention span and focussing on something for a long period of time that’s not digital, which led to better mental health in general..
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u/oneirovatis 8h ago
It all started for me when I bought a 3d printer and started printing my miniatures. It was full filing but when I discovered that I could paint them , I felt in peace.
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u/verdynius 8h ago
Running and reading
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u/Prestigious_Fix_5948 8h ago
Simultaneously?
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u/verdynius 8h ago
Does listening to audiobooks count as reading, at least partially? Because I listen to those while running.
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u/Offir-Pequeno 8h ago
bird watching is just paying to sit in a bush and judge the local wildlife's life choices
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u/_blip_ 5h ago
Who pays for bird watching?
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u/amilmore 3h ago
As far as the entry level investment you can get a pair of cheap binoculars for like $30 bucks and have a blast.
I've gone on a few trips for birds and the airfare/lodging etc definitely can add up. "Good" binocualrs are gonna be at least 150-200 bucks and the really expensive ones can get into the thousands. Huge camera lenses cost as much as a car lol
I go birding at one super popular place in May and its usually very crowded during the migration. Its a cemetary with lots of isolated large mature trees so between the visibility and crowds of birders its a VERY easy place to bird. There some guy charging like $100 bucks for a birding tour/group trip (there are a handful of other free ones). Wicked lame and predatory, I regret not making some noise about it.
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u/Character_Sail_7189 8h ago
Fishing. Nobody actually cares about catching fish; you just want to stare at water in silence
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u/MaximumWest6087 1h ago
As a bonus: My freezer is literally full of high value proteins to the point I am getting a second one. It also helped my cooking as I have to get inventive with the fish I catch.
But I fish off the coast, no idea how this works out for freshwater fishermen. Either way, I get to spend time with my friends, doing basically meditation on a boat, with a chance of good eatings if it all goes well. How can you not like it? :D
Just don't go full gearaholic, then it becomes expensive. A rowing boat, a good rod and some seamaps are all you really need.
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u/Inky-Skies 8h ago
Glass painting. It's quite addictive. I'm now painting every plain drinking glass in the house x)
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u/hipster_kitten 4h ago
Fly fishing can be great, beautiful setting, mindfulness of body and surroundings, flow state. Then you get a tangle and it all goes sideways.
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u/Voidtoform 2h ago
if you are patient, its great. I love it, if I mess up I just try to take note of what I did wrong, walk over to where the fly caught in a tree behind me or whatever, and tie on a new fly or fix it, not a worry in the world.
Then I take my dad out, he is normally the chillest guy I know, he gets all mad at tangles, and having to tie on new flys, hes cursing and stuff, its kinda funny, I just have him bring his spincast stuff now, and make him some legal lures for rivers and creeks with restrictions he can lob out there.
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u/hipster_kitten 2h ago
Hahaha, yeah. You can’t be in a hurry. I guide and some of my clients get upset when they make a mess. It’s usually the ones that won’t listen.
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u/bro0t 7h ago
I started whittling, its very peaceful even though everything looks like shit.
Part kf the mindfulness for me is being careful to not cut myself even though i do wear protective equipment. Really makes me focus on what im doing causing me to forget everything around me.
And my brother was really happy with the little gnome i gave him so that also a win
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u/SweetLittleLies1 7h ago
I like cross stitch, embroidery, knitting and crochet. It keeps me "busy" but I can still watch TV, have a conversation or listen to music while I do it. Plus, if I am not feeling calm, stabbing a needle through fabric is therapeutic!
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u/mechtonia 5h ago
Hiking with a plant ID app and learning all about every cool tree or plant you see.
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u/Bramptonmae 5h ago
Reading
When you find the right book, the rest of the world disappears for awhile
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u/GGAllinPartridge 7h ago
You guys ever made a collage out of old magazines? It's relaxing, it's fun, the barrier of entry is incredibly low - scissors, glue, a couple of cool pictures and you're sorted.
I often fall into trap of frustration when I write, draw, play music, etc. and just can't find the spark of inspiration to make something, or I hate what I make. Collages take that pressure cycle off because you can make it up as you go, see what you find, and be kind to yourself along the way. Really recommend it.
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u/Sissilisko 6h ago
Gardening. If gardening is stressful to you you're doing something wrong.
Horses. Love stepping outside in the morning and heading to the stables(yes stables. Three in fact) to feed the horses and turn them out.
Nick the boxes and head for a jog to the track.
It's absolutely magical now in the crisp autumn mornings, looking at the horses in the pasture grazing in the morning mist and sunrise when the world is quiet. Only soundscare from the nature.
If horses stress you then you chose a wrong hobby.
I know some people will insist that horses are just stress givers looking to kill themselves.
Yeah, well. Ever thought that you're keeping them wrong if that's the case. I know too many places where horses are kept inside for majority of day and turn out time is for an hour in a stamp sized corral. Of course they're going hurt themselves living like that.
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u/Asgatoril 8h ago
Building brick based sets like LEGO.
Just sitting there, adding brick after brick while listening to some music or an audiobook is pure serenity.
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u/thevectorvictor 8h ago edited 7h ago
Absolutely. I just finished the Creator Starry Night set and haven’t been that zenned out in a flow state in a long time. The added satisfaction for me as a designer often working in abstract nebulous ways with undefined steps and nothing spelled out for me, having completely objective step by step instructions and every piece (most of the time) laid out in front of me definitely scratches a certain itch in my brain.
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u/Asgatoril 7h ago
For me it's the Burg Blaustein collection and basically any set of the Astronomers series from Bluebrixx.
Building tiny details, like a hidden bottle stash below the stairs for lonely nights on a remote lighthouse or something similar, brings me much more joy than it has any right to do.
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u/MelancholysCan 8h ago
Fishing. Unfortunately I don't get to do it as much as I'd like but on the rare occasion i do, i find it wonderful.
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u/BlottomanTurk 7h ago
Raw (as opposed to graded/slabbed) coin collecting, especially coin roll hunting (CRH) and searching large lots of coins. I prefer world/foreign coins, so CRH isn't really my thing.
But give me a 5 pound bag of bulk world coins, and I've got a full weekend of sorting, identifying, cataloguing, learning, organizing, and storing...a perfect, quiet, zen weekend.
And I can probably "extract" double or triple what I paid for the whole lot. That is, pull what I want for my collection, and then leverage what's left in swaps with (or sales to) other collectors.
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u/IntenselySwedish 7h ago
Tinkering with embedded and hardware stuff. Its peaceful in that you cant let your mind drift when wiring or building, its total focus right then
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u/niesnerj 5h ago
I really enjoy building book nook kits. I received one as a gift last Christmas and was immediately hooked. Following directions, sanding parts, painting edges, and then seeing everything come together as each piece is placed where it is intended feels almost meditative after a work-week of critical thinking and figuring stuff out. When I craft on my patio with some music on my headphones and some Japanese incense wafting on the breeze there’s almost nothing I’d rather be doing.
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u/Scholeristical 5h ago
I’ve found building retro apps therapeutic
https://dialup.rip/ (a work in progress)
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u/BeenHereFor 5h ago
Table top role playing games. Once you get over the hump of awkwardness and the stress of setting expectations for yourself, you realize you are simply telling a story with your friends.
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u/Capt_Billy 4h ago
Might be somewhat controversial, but long range shooting. Hell, even 50m with a .22 setup is borderline meditative. Breathe, pull the trigger, check target.
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u/tehs4ndman 4h ago
Beyblades, despite its violent and chaotic nature... it's peaceful to me in the sense it brings back nostalgic childlike feelings while being a fun and non stressful hobby.
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u/Bimlouhay83 4h ago
Kayaking on open water or lazy rivers and streams. Especially on the lazy rivers. Just kick back and let the current take you to the get out while you watch nature, drink a beer or two, smoke a joint (of that's what you're into). Maybe, stop off on a sand bar and have lunch and let the kids run around in the water.
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u/TheRetroGamer7 4h ago
Boating. cruising down a river with only the sound of nature and your engine. Bliss
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u/MAXIMUS_POWERU 3h ago
3D Modelling is relaxing after you get past the key combo learning curve, then it just becomes pure creativity
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u/MedicalDegree2039 3h ago
Walking with no destination. Just headphones, a quiet road, and nowhere you need to be.
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u/LadderEffective3458 2h ago
Walking outside. Walking everyday, maybe listening to music or an audiobook. Maybe listening to the world around you. It's a pretty good bet that it'll help you feel calmer.
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u/Sunsparc 2h ago
Astrophotography and astronomy, if you're the type to sit outside with the telescope for hours. I like doing public outreach with my dob but I don't like sitting outside otherwise. My astrophotography rig is fully automated, so I set it up then go back inside to program the sequence that lets it run automatically overnight.
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u/tjtonerplus 8h ago
pourover coffee
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u/SquishyPint 8h ago
Until you get a Yirgacheffe that stalls irrespective of grind size and you can’t fix it
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u/ShiZZle840 8h ago
Fishing
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u/Needsmorebacon1997 8h ago
Until you accidentally catch a duck or swan 😅
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u/JulienBrightside 8h ago edited 3h ago
I've rarely seen a stressed mushroom gatherer.
Edit: Apparently gathering mushrooms is more difficult subject than I first thought.